


awake with the stars

by XellyChan



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Domestic Fluff, Gen, M/M, Mpreg, escape to earth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-27
Updated: 2019-03-27
Packaged: 2019-12-18 16:09:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18253283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XellyChan/pseuds/XellyChan
Summary: Bardock hums. "Kakarot, huh."The name rests heavy and true on his tongue.Something indefinable slots into place.[Donation request fic.]





	awake with the stars

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Bardocksbabe](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Bardocksbabe).



> My attempt to write mpreg, fluff, and adventure all in one prompt. Life interfered, or else this would have been out ages ago.
> 
> 500 words for every 2 dollars, plus 500 words extra.

"We're in over our heads, Little Commander," Toteppo's deep voice says through the coms, and Bardock flinches a little at the ancient nickname. It'd been decades since Toteppo had referred to him by the endearment and the nostalgia fights queasily with his out of whack hormones. Bardock rubs impatiently at his stomach in a vain attempt to settle the motion sickness building up. There's nothing worse than vomiting in an enclosed space.

 

"We're fine," Celipa cuts in, her older generation com crackling slightly. "It's  _ the idiot _ who's in trouble here. Fucker's ready to pop." She laughs, more amused than exasperated. 

 

"Shut up," Bardock grumbles, "We have enough time to clear out Kanassa before heading back home. And  _ before _ you say shit, Toma, I checked the readings. Even if I'm out of commission--which I fucking won't be, kid or not-- we have more than enough firepower to take the whole lot of them out, especially since the moon is gonna be full a day after landing."

 

Celipa laughs again, this time joined by Panbukin, as Toma's thick sigh fuzzes over the speakers. "You're still cutting it close with the return order from Frieza. Even if we make it on schedule and land in the next 2 hours, there's still about a 68 hour return time, plus the time waiting for the full moon."  

 

"Give it up!" Celipa butts in before Bardock can retort. "Commander Carrier's made up his mind!" She snickers. 

 

Bardock mutes her line from the rest of the crew's. 

 

"Shut up all of you," Bardock says, biting back a groan when the kid wakes up and begins to kick vigorously at his spine. "We're entering the system and you're bitching is making the brat restless."

 

There's a chorus of  _ yessirs _ , some more amused others, then the chatter subsides to private lines or going quiet altogether. 

 

All except Toma, who opens an encrypted, one on one line with Bardock. "You do know what you're doing, right?" Were it anyone else, Bardock might've taken violent offense to all the second-guessing, and even then, it's only because the worry is tangible in Toma's voice that Bardock just feels annoyed. 

 

"As much as I ever do," Bardock tells him. 

 

Toma laughs softly, a little helpless. "How reassuring."

 

***

 

He's waiting for them when they land. The Kanassan. 

 

Surrounded by rubble and silence, the campfire at his feet burnt to ash and wafting thin, silvery smoke. 

 

When he spots Bardock, the Kanassan stands to greet him, "We meet again." Then, catching sight of Bardock's heavy belly, he inclines his head in a nod, eyes alien and intent. "No, perhaps we meet for the first time." He says. There's a strange cadence in his voice; as if he wasn't quite talking to them. It sent an unpleasant shiver down Bardock's spine, the fur on his tail standing on end. "It's difficult to say with certainty, occasionally; even The Dawn becomes obscured by the ripples of time. Of change."

 

"Who are you?" Bardock narrows his eyes, muscles tensing. "How did you know where we'd land?"

 

Out of the corner of his eye, Bardock notices Toma subtly move into a protective stance.

 

The Kanassan makes a sound that's too hollow to be a laugh. It's an empty exhalation, full of shallow graves and dying embers. Blue flames crack over the Kanassan's body, his skin splits and darkens into black char. "Bardock. Will you continue and die as you've always died? Or will you finally allow yourself to meet that child; he who shines like the Golden Sun and burns away The Dawn?"

 

The Kanassan raises a burning hand, blackened palm outstretched as if in offering. The flames sway and coalesce in his palm, the blue glow bleeding to red and gold, pulsing like a malignant organ. The throb of the flames in the Kanassan's hand beats in sync with Bardock's, and for one horrible, superstitious second, Bardock believes the Kanassan has ripped his heart out from where he stands.

 

Behind him, Celipa, Tottepo, and Panbukin draw up defensively, their combined growls thundering in the empty stretch of land. Bardock bears his teeth, uncowed, and takes a threatening step forward. "What do you want? You trying to be a hero?"

 

A smile. It's difficult to tell for sure, underneath that alien face and the way the skin has begun to flake away and slough off, but Bardock thinks the Kanassan is smiling. A cruel, knowing smile. "The same as I've always wanted, since our first meeting, Bardock," intones the Kanassan. He steps closer, movements jerky and shambling like a corpse. "For you to  _ see _ ."

 

The throbbing flame in the Kanassan's hand collapses in on itself into a single, singing, needlepoint of light.  It hovers for a drawn-out moment, then in the space of a breath, lances forward; easily moving around Toma's bulk to pierce through Bardock's left eye.

 

Bardock recoils, a white-hot band of pain wrapping around his skull and squeezing. He crumbles to the floor, Toma catching him before he does damage to his stomach.

 

"Bardock!" Large hands desperately cup his face, roughly patting his cheek to draw his attention as he writhes in Toma's arms. The kid wakes up with a flutter of frantic kicks that does nothing for the waves of burning pain lapping at his body. Distantly, Bardock can hear the rest of the crew tear off towards the Kanassan, roaring ferociously. 

 

And then something strange happens.

 

His eyes snap open, catching sight of Toma's stricken face, and then-- and then--

 

And then he sees stars. A cold patch of empty space, someone's high, cold laugh. 

 

The black void of space seems to pull into itself, the laugh dissolving into hundreds of voices chorusing together in a scream of anguish. The voices distort as time rolls backward until Bardock sees a red planet is burning, pulsing like a rotten heart as it's consumed with brilliant light. 

 

Bardock thinks he's screaming, but he can't be sure. His throat is scraped raw, just one voice among many as planet Vegeta dies.

 

_ I have given you this gift, Bardock, so that you could see. Horrors. And... _

 

The vision spins away from him, stripping the air from his lungs. He lands galaxies and years away, eyes filled with blue skies. A lone figure stands before a golden sun, the outline of his silhouette heartbreakingly familiar though Bardock knows he's never seen this man-- this boy-- before.

 

The  _ manboychildmyson _ turns, and Bardock catches a glimpse of a sweet smile and dark, happy eyes.

 

_ Hope _

 

***

 

Toma looks stricken when he says it, but there's no time. Bardock's heart aches dully, but he pushes through the lump in his throat, grabbing Toma's armor and pulling him close. Bardock licks dry, cracked lips, and repeats himself, desperate. "I'm going back for Gine. Take the crew and get Raditz out of the frontlines."

 

"Bardock, what's going on? What the hell did that bastard do to you?" Large, warm hands cradle his face as Toma forces Bardock still. 

 

Bardock shakes his head as best he's able, reaching up and grabbing Toma's wrists. He can feel Toma's strong, thrumming pulse. Visions flash across his brain, terrible and lonely,  _ and there was no time _ . "He's going to kill us all. We're gonna die bloody and screaming; no one in this universe is going to remember us when he blasts away our planet."

 

"Who?" Toma's eyes knit together, his face paling.

 

"Frieza."

 

***

 

The knife slips from her fingers, her pretty face blanching, and Bardock feels momentary regret that he's the one who put that look there. But Gine is strong, stronger than her power level implied, and all too soon her expression firms with determination.

 

"You're gonna need a medic. Medical supplies. A baby pod, and maybe some healing fluid samples in case we can find something to synthesize a new batch. And rations." Her tail sways, alert, as she lists necessities Bardock had let slip from his mind. In his rush and with the lingering headache of visions, he'd forgotten about the smaller things, focused on the immediate survival of his crew.

 

Gine bullies him into taking a seat and pressed a protein-rich piece of jerked meat into his hands, then disappeared deep into the house attached to the butcher shop with a thick satchel in hand.   

 

He wanted to protest, but a sudden wave of exhaustion kept him from getting back up. Outside of the aching band of band pain around his skull, his body felt drained of energy from prolonged space travel, and finally, to add insult, his feet were swollen. Bardock groans, but settled back into the seat he'd been deposited in, taking a disgruntled bite from the jerky. "Forget the baby pod, at least. It's too much weight to drag around."

 

Gine's head pops back into the shop from around a darkened corner, her eyebrow creased. "That means you'll have to bring up the little thing through his developmental years by yourself." Her lips pursed, and she tilts her head to the side in question. "Will you be able to handle it? I know you'll have Toma and the rest of us, but with Raditz...he won't be happy being forced to leave his post..."

 

"We don't have much of a choice," Bardock says, rubbing his belly. The kid kicks curiously at the sensation, following his hand. If it was at any other time, Bardock might've smiled. "It's gonna be hard enough getting  _ you _ off the planet with us. The pod is just too inconspicuous." His mouth thins at the thought of his other child. "Raditz is just gonna have to deal with not being that brat prince's little toadie anymore. 

 

Gine smiles grimly, then slipped away to pack with hurried vigor.

 

***

 

"They finally wised up!" Panbukin laughs, strained. "They're pursuing us something fierce, commander.

 

"Lose them in three systems or less," Bardock commands, teeth gritting as he worked elbow deep in the circuitry of a control panel. He was at work destroying any tags or monitoring chips in place that could endanger them even after they lost their pursuers. "Put enough distance between us so that we can dump this rust bucket and commandeer a ship not registered as one of Frieza's."

 

"Yessir," Panbukin nods, thick knuckles going white on the yoke as he strafed the ship through a small debris field. Toma and Celipa sat on either side of him, both of their hands gripping tight on the weapons controls; Celipa baring her fangs in a confident smirk and Toma looking grim. Gine had slipped right back into her place on the team, as if no time at all had passed, shouting off sensor readings and ship performance reports.

 

"Celipa, the ship coming up on our starboard side is tagged onto us, it's transmitting our location to the others nearby," Her fingers flew over her control panel, the ships defenses humming to life. "Toma, small seekers are rounding our flanks, trying to corral us."

 

"Gotcha."

 

"Right."

 

Bardock allows himself a dark smirk, proud of his team. This was no ground assault, but they were vicious and well coordinated as always. 

 

The ship thrummed with the discharge of its guns, Celipa laughing as she landed a critical shot. "Hey, Bardock! You ever give thought to becoming a pirate?"

 

Bardock snorts, pulling out wires with renewed vindictiveness. "Fuck no. I'm no void rat."

 

Toteppo's voice crackles over the intership coms, Raditz's high, reedy little kid growl audible in the background, along with the sound of a light scuffle. It sounds like it putting Toteppo in the hold with Raditz was a good call. Bardock would bet the fur of his tail the little brat woke up fighting after Toma dumped his scrawny ass in their commandeered ship. "He gets confused enough for his brother already, Celipa. The little commander has always been upset that some of the bounties on him were meant for Turles."

 

The ship spins into a barrel roll and punches through the system's terminus shock, the crew laughing despite the circumstances.

 

***

 

Bardock's legs wobble when he finally steps off their old, hunkered piece of shit cargo ship an onto the firm ground. It rankles at his pride, but he allows Toma to catch him by the elbow and guide him to sit on top of a boulder. One by one, the rest of the crew stumbles down to join them, Toteppo still minding Raditz, the kid tucked under his arm like luggage. 

 

Toma's hands brush over Bardock's shoulders, thumbs tracing soothing circle around his pulse. He tilts his head towards the wide, blue sky, taking in the thick clouds and sweet, cool wind. "It's a bit rustic," he says after a while, a faint smile playing around his mouth, "but it's pretty."

 

The mounting tension that had built up since Kanassa finally began to unwind from Bardock in fits and starts. Sagging against Toma's firm side, Bardock exhaled gaily, cracking his own rusty smile when the baby moves sleepily in his belly. The little parasite seemed to be gravitating towards its father's warmth, nesting up strangely between Bardock's side and spine, kicking idly. Toma jolts, feeling the faint nudges even through his armor. He looks down at Bardock's belly in surprise and laughs a small, breathless laugh. 

 

"It's beautiful..." Gine says, turning slowly in place and taking in the mountains capped in lush trees, raising into the clouds. A smile lights up her face and she clasps her hands together. Bardock watches for a second, then leans more of his weight on Toma, allowing his eyes to finally slide closed.  "It's a wonderful place to have a baby."

 

Toma immediately stiffens, the lightness in his scent draining away. His eyes dart between Gine's oblivious smile, to the Celipa camouflaging the ship, to Panbukin and Toteppo retrieving essentials while scoping out the area for game and food. "What?"

 

Eyes feeling dry and heavy, Bardock blearily looks up at Toma, noticing distantly that his jaw was tense, a muscle twitching worryingly.

 

"We're staying?"

***

 

"I don't think this is a good idea," Toma says. His brows are furrowed and his hands are hovering, his tail wringing uncertainly in the air.

 

Bardock growls, the energy in his hand stuttering at the distraction until he refocuses on steadying the output. A muscle jumps in his jaw, but he bites down the retort building on his tongue and instead finishes carving into the stone wall. "You have a better one?" he asks, gruffly surveying his handy work. 

 

The cave was finally beginning to look like a real home, at least somewhat. The fur throws and haphazard stacks of armor and equipment made the cave look more akin to an anachronistic dugout than a place to raise a bratling, but it'd do. 

 

Toma stays silent for a drawn-out moment, but even without his scouter, Bardock can feel the tense, worried energy surrounding the big idiot. Finally, Toma sighs, long and reluctant. Toma's hands go to Bardock's waist, fingers splaying out on the sides of Bardock's swollen stomach, possessive and protective. "No. No, I don't." He says, threads of frustration in his voice. "I feel so exposed out here."

 

Crossing his hands over his chest as best he can despite the jut of his belly, Bardock grumbles but leans into Toma's warm bulk. "We're as far as we're gonna get from Frieza's pirates, and they won't be expecting us on such a backwater planet. Especially if we don't trash the place."  

 

Toma lapses into another pensive silence, saying nothing as his thumbs rub in meditative little circles on Bardock's sore hips. His restless tail flicking low to the ground. 

 

"This isn't forever," Bardock frowns, tired of the ceaseless worrying. "Just until the new little parasite can defend himself. I don't like sitting on my ass any more than you do. Hell, the crew would mutiny if we stayed longer than we had to."

 

That cracks a thin laugh from Toma, and like pressure from a chamber, the tenseness begins to drain away from him. "You couldn't get rid of us that easily," Toma teases, twining their tails together. He nuzzles into Bardock's hair, mingling their scents. "It's more likely the team is gonna get spoiled and lazy under all this light gravity."

 

Snorting, Bardock pulls away and lumbers awkwardly towards the bed, their tails staying connected until the very last second. The bed is an ugly thing, a mess of fur and cloth wrapped soft grass and pilfered bits of the whole crew's civvies. It's more of a nest than anything, and the huger Bardock gets, the more of a pain in the back it is, but it smells like  _ home _ and  _ safety _ and  _ family _ . Bardock grunts and lowers himself into the bed with difficulty then burrows deep beneath the furs. "The moment this little bastard pops out of me, I'm gonna whip all you slackers into shape," he threatens, slightly muffled by one of Celipa's undershirts. "Now stop fucking worrying about anything other than feeding me, you prick."

 

***

 

It's surprisingly difficult trying to settle on a new planet without the intention of destroying its inhabitants.  The pregnancy only does so much to distract him from homicidal urges but does nothing for the ever encroaching boredom. If the humans weren't such good camouflage, Bardock might have indulged in taking potshots at some of their cities just for something to do. He'd even given strict no-kill orders to everyone in the crew --plus a healthy smack on the head to drive the point home for Raditz-- so it wouldn't look good if he was the one who blew up a capital or two. 

 

Bardock sighs, rolling around in his nest of blankets, his hand absently rubbing his stomach. This pregnancy was a fair bit more eventful than his first, but now that they were trying to keep their heads down and blend in with this planet's population, Bardock almost wished  _ something _ would happen. Anything, short of Frieza himself, would be more welcome than just lazying about the den-house while everyone worked on getting essentials.  

 

Panbukin is out hunting more game and mapping out the landscape. Celipa is deconstructing the ship and salvaging parts to make rudimentary equipment like com monitors. Gine had proven herself the most capable of everyone in her ability to blend in amongst the Humans and is currently on a reconnaissance mission in a city not too far away. Toma and Toteppo are doing something similar, pilfering human technology and tools for study and supplies. 

 

Only Bardock is left behind with nothing to do but languish in his boredom. Well, him, and Raditz. 

 

Raditz, who is still very angry with them all for forcibly retiring him from his position beside the prince.  Bardock smirks, the beginnings of an idea starting to form. With some effort, he props himself up on his side, whistling shrilly. "Brat! Get your ass over here."

 

Audibly dragging his feet, Raditz appears around the rough, stone doorway,  expression dour. "What."

 

Waving him in impatiently, Bardock motions at an empty spot in the bed beside him. Raditz pulls a face but reluctantly slopes out from behind the door and crawls in beside his carrier. Not giving Raditz a second to adjust, Bardock's arm snakes out and catches Raditz around the waist, pulling him close and settles back into bed. Bardock buries his nose in Raditz's mass of hair, inhaling that lingering baby smell all kids have, ignoring his son's indignant squawk. He sighs again, this time much more content when he catches Toma's faint scent as well. 

 

"You old man! Stop being gross, lemme gooooo!" Raditz whines, squirming in Bardock's hold. A little amused, Bardock notes the brat refrains from kicking out against or jostling his swollen belly. 

 

"No," Bardock hums, freeing a hand to playfully tug on a lock of Raditz's hair. "In all the commotion, you and I haven't had a chance to sit down and bond."

 

Raditz lets out a thin babyish snarl, which is rather cute if ridiculous. Bardock tugs another spikey tuft of hair, snickering. "Gross!" Raditz cries, his tail smacking ineffectually against Bardock's hip. "When have we ever bonded?!"

 

Bardock blinks slowly, idly searching his memory as he pins Raditz's tail with his own. All he can think of is holding Raditz post delivery and not wanting the medical personnel to take the mewling bundle of baby away. Before that, Bardock remembers being constantly irritable during the pregnancy, growling thunderously anytime Toma approached him and ranting to his stomach each time he noticed it getting bigger. 

 

That hardly counts as bonding.

 

"Huh. So it goes," Bardock shrugs, not particularly moved. He nuzzles their cheeks together, smirking when Raditz lets out an embarrassed whine. "Guess it's time to make up for missed opportunities. Gotta practice this whole affection thing with another brat on the way."

 

"Nooooooo!" howls Raditz, cheeks smooshed and trying to escape from Bardock's hold in earnest now. 

 

***

 

"How cute!" Gine squeals in a hushed voice.

 

Broad fingers brush away his bangs and Bardock wakes to an amused Toma standing over the bed, the rest of the crew crowding the doorway behind him all bearing their own smiles and smirks. "So... what am I looking at here?" Toma asks, gesturing to a sleep-pouting Raditz, curled up against Bardock's side.

 

Bardock gives a jaw-cracking yawn and stretches, careful not to wake the brat. "Postpartum bonding." 

 

Toma arches an eyebrow. After a moment, he huffs a laugh, reaching down to ruffle Raditz's unruly spikes. "Better late than never."

 

"I thought so too," Bardock says, snagging Toma's armor and pulling down for a kiss.

 

The noise and movement wake Raditz, who squirms and tries to move away. Bardock clicks his tongue, stopping Raditz, then he pulls away from Toma. "Stay right there. You're making my back feel better."

 

Raditz glares mutinously at Bardock but complies anyway and nestles up against Bardock's back, pressing warm weight against his sore lower back. Bardock loops an arm behind himself, holding Raditz in an awkward half hug, and sighs at both the body warmth and the contact. Though he rarely held his oldest before running from Vegetasei, Bardock quickly finds it becoming a habit to cuddle up and hold Raditz. Though, he thinks, the brat is probably getting too big for it now. 

 

He chalks it up to baby hormones and instinct, which is annoying in its own right, but he won't deny reforging a fatherly bond with Raditz has its upsides.

 

"What are you gonna name it?" Raditz asks, sudden. The pout in his voice is audible, but genuine curiosity is there too.

 

Bardock hums, having not put too much thought into names even after all the commotion settled. "Dunno," he says. He nods at Toma, "Any ideas?"

 

Toma shrugs, settling down on the corner of the bed. Everyone else filters in, Celipa and Panbukin looking amused as Gine quietly crooned to herself. Toteppo followed in behind her, looking thoughtful. "What about Kakarot, little commander? In keeping with your family's traditional names?"

 

Bardock hums. "Kakarot, huh." 

 

The name rests heavy and true on his tongue.

 

Something indefinable slots into place.

 

***

 

Bardock snarls, clawing out and snapping his teeth in an attempt to reach Toma. Celipa and Toteppo wrangle him back down on the makeshift birthing bed. His voice raised in a guttural howl, "I'll tear off your dick!"

 

"Now, now, Bardock you don't mean that," Gine says, smooth back his hair and checking his vitals. Behind her, Toma blanches and feels along the wall for the exit. Panbukin gives a sympathetic grimace but locks a meaty arm around him, keeping Toma from running away. Distantly, Bardock could hear Raditz banging at the shut door, where they kept him away from the birthing room. Another rolling contraction broke through his concentration, sending him reeling with pain. He howls, slamming his head back on the pillows and arching his hips as if he could escape the pain. "Just breathe, okay? Breathe."

 

Gine made exaggerated breathing noises, puffing out her cheeks and blowing out air several times until Bardock began to copy her. Bardock groans miserably, seething out air between clenched teeth as he tried to force his body to cooperate. "I-- argh-- I don't remember it being this  _ hard _ before." The contraction passes, but the pain lingers, and Bardock sags into the bed, exhausted and feeling ragged. Someone wipes a cool, damp cloth along his burning face, mopping up sweat and brushing back his matted hair.

 

"You were on the good drugs with Raditz," Celipa tells him, her grin reassuring but her eyes held worry and sympathy. "They keep those locked up, even on backwater planets like this." Bardock didn't need to be told that there was no way to determine his reaction to alien drugs, especially during birth, but he appreciated the attempt at levity. "Just hang in there Bardock. As so as you pop out the kid, I'll let you loose at Toma, okay?"

 

"H-hey..." Toma says, raising a hand nervously. "Please don't encourage anything so scary."

 

Bardock didn't get a chance to retort, because Gine had disappeared between his legs, her small, gloved hand prodding around that secret slit which felt sore and burning. "Bardock, brace yourself! Your baby is coming!"

 

Bardock's clenches his teeth, already feeling the burning racking up as another contraction his. Breathing raggedly in a rhythm, he props himself up and got ready to go to work.

 

***

 

It took hours. Hours of screaming increasingly bloody threats against Toma and feeling like his body was going to tear in two, but finally, the new brat was here. Kakarot. A small splitting image of Bardock himself, but wrinkly skinned and fluffy-tailed and chubby-cheeked. Perfect. 

 

Heart feeling overfull, Bardock swaddles Kakarot in Toma's soft undershirt, taking care with his delicate little tail, then tucks the baby into the secure crook of his arm.  

 

Toma cautiously wraps an arm around his shoulders, which Bardock allowed without comment, too tired and endorphin drunk to make good on his threats. Thick fingers brush Kakarot's tiny face, and Toma laughs a smitten, soft little sound. "He's so tiny and beautiful." The emotion is thick in Toma's voice, and Bardock finds enough strength to roll his eyes at the sappy idiot. 

 

"I'm sure he'll be a huge pain in the ass like his father and brother," says Bardock. Movement by the door catches his attention, and Bardock turns to see Raditz peering in, expression curious and full of trepidation. Batting away Toma's hand, Bardock resettles the baby higher up then motions for Raditz to come closer. 

 

Raditz takes careful steps forward, creeping further into the room as if he was on a stealth mission, eyes darting around at the disarray in the room and nose twitching at the smell of blood. Pain and exhaustion making him patient when he would not have been otherwise, Bardock waits and gives his eldest time to get his bearings. Finally reaching the side of the bed, Bardock reaches down with his free arm to pull Raditz up to his side, putting Kakarot in view. 

 

"This is Kakarot," Bardock says. "And he's waited a long time to meet you."

  
  
  
  
  



End file.
